An entry-level model certainly doesn’t sound enticing. And it usually isn’t – well, what with all the toys and goodies reserved for more upper-class variants.

Enter the C 180 Avantgarde Line, the most affordable model in Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s now wide-spanning W205 C-Class range. It sits at the very bottom of no less than seven different variants of the brand’s compact executive sedan line-up, priced at RM228,888. That’s a full RM20,000 less than the next model up, and RM71,000 under the range-topping variant.

Chosen as the closer of our three Mercedes-Benz Malaysia-paultan.org road trips (the first two being the GLE 400 AMG Line to Kuantan and C 300 AMG Line to Penang), we travelled up to Ipoh with contest winner Reuben How in a pair of C 180 sedans. Can the base W205, then, prove to be the exception to the entry-level rule?

It’s a tough ask, made even harder when judged by yours truly, with a C 300 being my daily vehicle of choice, and Reuben who is a W212 E-Class owner himself. So does the base C-Class offer up a watered-down experience, or is it good enough in its own right to impress us both? Read on to find out.

First up, the fundamentals. The C 180 is powered by a 1.6 litre turbocharged direct-injection engine that makes 156 hp and 250 Nm. It gets to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds, on to a top speed of 223 km/h – both far more sedate than say, the next model up, the C 200 with its 194 hp/300 Nm 2.0 litre turbo and benchmark figures of 7.3 seconds and 235 km/h. Thankfully, however, the seven-speed 7G-Tronic Plus automatic transmission goes unchanged.

It’s a rung down aesthetically too. Most obvious of all are the 17-inch five-spoke wheels that, while not particularly undersized, appear rather simple and underwhelming for a car of this stature. These will be swapped out for more attractive twin five-spoke wheels that were fitted on the earlier C 200 Avantgarde models from 2017 onwards. One “problem” solved, then.

Moving on, the headlamps are automatic single-LED High Performance projectors, and not the fully-adaptive ILS units on the C 200 Exclusive and up – though this is more of a visual downgrade than anything else, as ILS usability on Malaysian roads is pretty limited. The rest is as per the C 200 Avantgarde, with a central star grille and dual exhaust ports round the back.

Step inside and a few other trinkets are missing too. Compared to the C 200 Avantgarde, gone are the memory function for the powered seat, electric steering adjustment, reverse camera and ambient lighting. The climate control system is also a single-zone unit rather than dual- (C 200 and C 250) or triple-zone (C 300 and C 350 e) systems.

None of these items are what I’d consider to be deal-breakers, with only the reverse camera being the one feature I’d really wish it had. The essentials have all been left intact here, including keyless push-button start, auto lights and wipers, cruise control, rear air-con vents, rear and side window shades and of course, Bluetooth and (Garmin Map Pilot) navigation through the seven-inch Audio 20 CD infotainment system.

Safety has been left untouched too, with the C 180 having class-leading standard fitment of seven airbags, electronic stability control and most outstanding of all, Collision Prevention Assist Plus (autonomous emergency braking). It’s a decently equipped car by all measures. Entry-level here certainly does not mean bargain basement; it is, above all else, still a Mercedes-Benz through and through.

And it’s a rather good one at that. The W205 is as unmistakably C-Class as its forerunners. All the classic cues have been preserved in more or less modified form: the glasshouse, the short tail, the bold front end and sculpted flanks with the muscle line running through the side. This car leaves you in little doubt of its identity.

The latest C-Class looks classy, familiar, neatly proportioned and, as time will prove, rather timeless.

And it’s very well put together, it being locally-assembled or not. Our black-on-black example feels solid as a rock. So solid, in fact, that the last door has to be closed with an extra-firm thump because of the virtually airtight cabin. Compared to its predecessor, it’s both lighter (by up to 100 kg) and significantly more rigid– the mark of clear progress.

Inside, the C-Class comes across like a downscaled S-Class. Upmarket details include the alloy-look switchgears (all perfectly weighted, no less), retrotastic round vents, smartly-styled instrument cluster with a large colour screen and the smooth, premium leather used on the steering wheel (usefully perforated around the grips).

The perceived quality is excellent: the plastic surfaces are soft and well-textured, the Artico leather upholstery is as pleasant to the eye as it is to the touch, and nice details such as the perfectly knurled centre control dial lift up the cabin ambience to proper premium levels. This is no pretender classing up; this is the real deal.

There are drawbacks, however. The Audio 20 system isn’t the slickest around (the Garmin map looks and feels out of place), and the rear seat base is rather short for long-haul journeys. The piano black finish on the centre console, meanwhile, is extremely good at showing up fingerprints, dust and inevitably, scratches. Minor issues, but present nonetheless.

It’s a bigger car than the W204 C-Class, and the extra space is well used: 80 mm longer wheelbase (2,840 mm) means significantly more legroom and 40 mm more width gives extra elbow room and a wider track. Headroom is quite generous too, especially so on the C 180 as it comes without a sunroof (that’s a good thing in my books).

Mercedes-Benz says the latest C-Class is now as large as the W210 E-Class from 1995, even surpassing it in areas such as wheelbase, track and width. This is a compact executive car by name only.

On the move, the C 180 is a revelation, even compared to my C 300 benchmark. It somehow feels like it has its own independent DNA with a broader appeal. While the C 300’s dynamics are taut, flat and occasionally hyper-responsive, the C 180 is far more progressive and well balanced.

The C-Class’ sports suspension as fitted on AMG Line models here brings it a lot closer to the F30 BMW 3 Series, but the C 180’s standard spring and damper setting somehow suits the car better, with extra wheel travel and higher profile tyres giving greater comfort. Knock on the wheels all you want, but the C 180 is the best-riding W205 on sale in Malaysia.

Through corners, this car has learnt to act in a spontaneous and precise fashion; it feels balanced and poised instead of detached and boring, and there’s plenty of feedback. Despite it being numb to understeer and brake drive, the communication between car and driver has lost none of its three-dimensional subtlety.

If anything, the handling attitude is now even more linear and unambiguous, the cornering performance is even more down-to-earth, and the ride comfort is even more cossetting and supple. And despite the long-stroke suspension, body movements are not excessive; yaw and roll are in fact rarely an issue.

With just 156 hp and 250 Nm available, it’s no barnstormer, but you’d be wrong to think that it’s slow. What it has is a perfectly adequate performance level, with above-average mid-range oomph. Leaving city traffic behind, the smooth 7G-Tronic masks most of the engine’s inadequacies, swiftly calling upon a lower gear when necessary. It never feels as lazy as its figures would suggest.

On the strength of a week and 1,000-odd kilometres (we made the trip twice), the C 180 feels like an excellent all-rounder; it has lost little of its core qualities compared to the more expensive variants and, somehow, manages to feel like a slightly better car in certain aspects.

A few niggles apart (shorter equipment list than you’d hope – the C 200 Exclusive is my personal sweet spot of the range), the Mercedes-Benz C 180 Avantgarde Line is good-looking, roomy and well made. Its ride and handling hits the mark and it combines relative affordability with undisputed classlessness. As a base entry to what is now a fantastically well-rounded W205 range, the C 180 deserves a try rather than a miss.

Lower your monthly commitment, not your standards.

Customers can now enjoy the C 180 Avantgarde Line with Hire Purchase Classic starting from as low as 1.99%. Alternatively, customer can choose 3 years Agility Financing that offers low monthly instalments at RM3,253. The uniqueness of Agility Financing is that you can have flexible end of agreement terms and greater assurance with future value of your car guaranteed by Mercedes-Benz. This campaign is valid till end of the year, don’t miss this opportunity. Terms and conditions apply.

Preferring to drive cars rather than desks, Hafriz Shah ditched his suit and tie to join the ranks of Malaysia’s motoring hacks. A car’s technical brilliance is completely lost on him, appreciating character-making quirks more. When not writing this ego trip of a bio, he’s usually off driving about aimlessly, preferably in a car with the right combination of three foot pedals and six gears.

1) The article are well written. In fact the writer even “Split the Hair” of the finer points of the good/bad.

2) The video also manage to promote the resort & the many places to visit in Ipoh plus the good/tasty foods that come along.

3) For the “base” price of RM228,888.00, you get to enjoy a Tri-star badge that comes with the finest German engineered sedan $$$ can buy & greater assurance with future value of your car guaranteed by Mercedes-Benz.

You had chances to review the car’s passive/active safety. My concern is on the pre-collision alert or at least the adaptive cruise control. Yeah, you called yourself champion in this safety issues. Not even a review on the 360° camera! There are Merc’s owner said to me that the bird’s eye view are from a satellite above the car. Ugh. Rasa mcm nak sekeh. Hope Paultan.org can improve the review. Love u guys.

The C 180 doesn’t have Adaptive Cruise Control or 360 Surround View, hence them not being mentioned in the review.

As for the Collision Prevention Assist Plus system, I did not encounter any instances for it to show itself over the week-long test. However, the same system on my C 300 has worked very well – giving warnings or, if necessary, braking automatically to avoid collisions. All works as advertised.

Had it not worked, then perhaps it may be worth mentioning. But it does, reliably.

Hi Hafriz! Thanks for replying. If not from your reply, I would not know about the absence of adaptive cruise control in the C180. For the 360 surround view, you did mentioned that the rear view camera is not available. Thanks.
Maybe my comment above is not suitable to be addressed in this site but more in your Youtube channel. Look forward to have more review specifically active/passive safety.
I have dreamed of Paultan.org to be the best site/Youtube channel as reference for us Malaysian before buying a car, especially our CKD cars have different spec compared to the outside market.

I have one question regarding your reply.
You mentioned that there is no adaptive cruise control in the C180 but the Collision Prevention Assist Plus is there.
From my knowledge, the Collision Prevention Assist Plus use the similar radar at the front, used by the adaptive cruise control. I know some cars use camera (e.g. Subarus, Serena etc.) but as an owner of C300, can you give details on this? Do you mean that the Collision Prevention Assist Plus do not use radar?
(Sorry Hafriz, I’m expecting this kind of details when reviewing about safety features, not necessarily whether they are working or not)
Thanks, your reply is much appreciated.

No worries, mate. I chose not to include the more technical bits as to not over clutter the article.

Merc’s Collision Prevention Assist Plus, as fitted on all W205 C-Class models in Malaysia uses radars fitted on the front of the car (not visible from the outside) to sense the distance and approaching speed of vehicles ahead. A camera is not required unless more advanced functions such as auto-steer or lane-keep assist are in play. On W205 models with ILS headlamps, a single camera setup is used to control the adaptive lighting system.

The radar that you speak of that’s used by adaptive cruise control systems are far more advanced still. In Mercedes-Benz speak, this is called Distronic Plus, with the radar housed on the front grille, within a glassed-in shield. With this option fitted, Collision Prevention Assist Plus is replaced with Pre-Safe Brake, which increases the maximum autonomous braking speed from 105 km/h to up to 200 km/h.

Mind you, Distronic Plus is not fitted on any W205 models in Malaysia, other than the Mercedes-AMG C 63, while Collision Prevention Assist Plus is standard across the range. The W205’s direct competitors, however, lack any form of autonomous emergency braking, save for certain variants of the Infiniti Q50.

Thank you for the write up! Test drive all the w205 variants and found out that c180 actually the most comfortable among all! Just made the booking yesterday and after reading this article today made me to proceed with the purchase!

Personally, I think the C200 Exclusive has the most-rounded equipment list of the W205 range, with ILS (big visual upgrade), sunroof (but front only, not panoramic), 18-inch wheels, interior wood trim and leather-covered dashboard, for a small premium over the C200 Avantgarde.

But of course, this is only valid if you like the Exclusive look (traditional radiator grille), which I do.

The twin exhaust outlets appear to be actually functional, unlike the earlier batches where there was only one downward facing tailpipe?
I also notice that the seat positioning switches are finally located at the doors but still no memory function.

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